BENNINGTON, Vt. — After almost 70 minutes of scoreless action at Everett Field, the visiting Daniel Webster College men's soccer team scored three times to take a 3-0 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) win over Southern Vermont College Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles defeated Southern Vermont by the same margin as last year's meeting between the two, topping the Mountaineers in a hard-fought match that was a battle from the opening whistle.
SVC (0-7, 0-1 NECC) is back in action on Monday as the Mountaineers head to Pine Manor College for a rescheduled non-conference tilt scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The Eagles (6-3, 2-0) next host Rivier University on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. non-league matchup.
A scoreless first half saw the two sides clash back-and-forth, both teams being called for offsides once while the Eagles held a 4-0 edge in shots on goal and a 1-0 advantage in corner kicks. Daniel Webster took a total of 11 shots in the period, holding the Mountaineers to just one. The best chance from either squad in the opening 45 minutes came when DWC junior Ian Hutchinson (Litchfield, N.H.) got a clean take from the middle of the box, but Southern Vermont freshman keeper Noah Chani (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) was able to make the full-extended, sliding save to keep the Eagles off the board.
The second half was detailed by more of the same as the SVC defense played tough to block Daniel Webster shots and preserve the scoreless tie. The 0-0 tally would hold until the visitors finally broke through with just over 20 minutes to go in regulation. An Eagle corner kick taken from the left side of the pitch was sent to the back post where junior Marcos Vieira Filho (Pernambuco, Brazil) was able to jump up and put a strong head on the ball; it was on its way to the back of the net, but SVC freshman defender Anthony Dominguez (Los Angeles, Calif.) got in front of the attempt and turned the shot away. However, the loose ball couldn't be cleared by Southern Vermont while DWC sophomore Austin Marshall (Atkinston, N.H.) cleaned it up for his second goal of the year, putting in what would prove to be the game-winner.
Just over five minutes later, Vieira Filho notched his third goal of the season when he collected the ball off a Mountaineer defender near the top of the box, turned, and sent it directly into the top left corner of the frame. The Eagles would pad their lead in the 86th minute as senior captain Mark Hogan (Haverhill, Mass.) played a ball through the SVC backline, allowing sophomore Aaron Esparza (Dover, N.H.) to run on and slot it into the back of the net for his first goal in 2015.
Daniel Webster senior keeper Sean Hamilton (Brookline, N.H.) made one save in the win while Chani finished the day with seven.